Automatic winding device for watches



Dec. 7, 1954 G. LANGEL AUTOMATIC WINDING DEVICE FOR WATCHES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 24 1951 FIG. 1

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Dec. 7, 1954 G. LANGEL AUTOMATIC WINDING DEVICE FOR WATCHES 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 24 1951 [M 1/6)? far vwra L a n z 9/ 2/1 A,

United States Patent AUTOMATIC WINDING DEVICE FOR WATCHES Grard Langel, Besancon, France, assignor to Compagnie Horlogere Ultra, Besancon, France Application April 24, 1951, Serial No. 222,542

2 Claims. (Cl. 58-82) This invention relates to automatic winding devices for watches in general, and more particularly for wrist+.

watches, in which the inertia mass (masselotte) is allowed to oscillate freely in both directions.

According to the invention the automatic winding device is characterized by the fact that the inertia mass, as

well as the kinematic transmission which serves to trans.-

' of the hands of the watch when the position of the watch is being changed. The power thus obtained is transmitted to the ratchet wheel of the barrel either by a gear train or by a toothed segment, or by an intermediate lever.

Three ways may be utilised in order to obtain an automatic Winding mechanism utilising a rotary mass as the primary winding element:

The first way consists in only allowing this inertia mass to oscillate by a fraction of a revolution (approximately 120 degrees), its movement being limited by two damper stops fixed on the plates of the watch movement; the winding only takes place in one direction of oscillation.

According to the second way, the inertia mass is allowed to rotate freely about its axis without limitation of this movement, but the winding only takes place in one single direction of oscillation.

In the third way, the inertia mass is allowed to turn freely about its axis without limitation of this movement, the winding being efiected in both directions of oscillation.

The first way has rather substantial drawbacks, such as: insufficient winding, loosening of the securing screws of the winding system or of the movement due to the repeated impacts of the inertia mass against the stops; deformation of the dampers.

The second way avoids to a certain extent the drawbacks of the preceding way, but the winding is still insuflicient owing to the fact that it only takes place when the inertia mass turns in one predetermined direction.

The third way overcomes in principle the drawbacks of the former two, but involves the necessity of employing a train of differential gear wheels, the cost of which is very high due to the complex nature both of its design and of the operation of assembling the elements by which it is constituted.

The automatic rewinding mechanism according to the present invention overcomes the above-mentioned drawbacks. Apart from this it ofiers the following advantages:

1. Winding in both directions of oscillation of the inertia mass.

2. Simplicity of design and of manufacture permitting the device to be made at very little cost.

3. Possibility of an application or adaption to ordinary watch movements without major modifications thereof.

4. Rapid dismantling of the system facilitating repair of the watch.

2,696,073 Patented Dec. 7, 1954 5. Possibility of regulation of the driving moment without any dismantling.

The annexed drawings illustrate, by way of example, three embodiments of the winding mechanism according to the invention:

Fig. l is a section on line A-A of Fig. 3;

Fig. 2 is a section on line B-B of Fig. 3;

Fig. 3 is a plan view from the side of the inertia mass, broken away to show the interior elements, and

Figs. 4 and 5 are similar plan views of two other embodiments.

As indicated above, the elements constituting the an tomatic winding mechanism are all assembled on a caplike shell 1 covering the movement 2. This movement has a flange 3 which serves as a stop during its insertion. Angular location of the movement 2 in the shell 1 is obtained in the described case by the thrust tube 4 inside which the winding rod 5 passes. This tube 4 is lodged in a passage 6 milled in the shell 1. The shell 1 comprises a bridge 7 disposed axially inside it, and having a pressed-in bearing 8. On its outer side and coaxially with this bearing, the shell has a recessed shoulder in which a ring 9 carrying a bearing 10 is fitted.

Mounted rotatably in these two superimposed bearings is a shaft 11 having an eccentric neck portion 12 on which turns a roller 13. In the extension of the shaft 11 past the outer bearing 10 the inertia mass 14 is fixed by means of a screw 15. The inertia mass 14 thus turns freely with the shaft 11.

The eccentric neck portion 12 transmits to a slide 16, through the medium of the roller 13, which is lodged in a notched portion of the slide 16, rectilinear alternating displacements the stroke of which is equal to twice the eccentricity of the neck portion 12. The slide 16 has two rectangular apertures 17, 18, the walls of which slide at opposite sides of two sleeves 19 and 20, respectively, carried by the shell 1. These sleeves 19, 20, have through bores, the one, 19, for receiving a shaft which carries the ratchet wheel (roue dent de loup) 21, which forms a rigid piece with the winding pinion 22, and the other, 20, to receive a securing screw 23.

This slide 16 has riveted to it at 24 a double hairpin ratchet spring, the two ends 26, 27 of which serve during the alternating displacements of the slide 16 to rotate the above-mentioned ratchet wheel 21. This ratchet wheel 21 in its turn actuates the barrel ratchet wheel 28 through the medium of the winding pinion 22 with which it forms one rigid piece.

In order to avoid over-winding of the barrel spring, the ratchet wheel 28 is connected to the shaft 29 of the barrel by a friction device which operates when the moment of the barrel spring reaches a value involving the danger of a breakdown of the watch. This friction device is constituted, in the illustrated example, by two plate members 30, 31 lodged in two circular recesses respectively provided in the two sides of the ratchet wheel 28. The plate member 31 is fixed to the shaft 29 of the barrel by a square hole and serves as a seating and centering member for the ratchet wheel 28. The plate member 30 is made of spring bronze or steel.

The friction is adjusted by more or less tightening the screw 32.

On the other hand, in order to avoid unintentional loosening of the screw 32, the latter is combined with a brake which may be constituted by a spring (Belleville) washer 33 interposed between the two plate members 30, 31.

In the construction of Fig. 4, only a half slide 16b is employed which, at its outer end, forms the guiding slot 18 which co-operates with the finger 20, and to which the hairpin spring 25 is articulated at 24. The other end of the half-slide 16b constitutes the eccentric ring (which may more particularly be formed by an annular jewel 13a in which the eccentric disc or roller 13 actuated by the inertia mass 14 is journalled.

In the modification of Fig. 5, the slide 16 is reduced to a ring 16a into which is forced a jewel 13a, performing: the function of the eccentric ring. The ring 16a carries. two springs 25a disposed at opposite sides of a diametric plane passing through the axes of the pivot 11 and of the ratchet wheel 21. These springs 25a comprise at their outer ends ratchet members 26, 27 which alternately take along the ratchet wheel 21.

What I claim is:

1, An automatic Watch winding mechanism comprising, in combination, a support, a ratchet wheel'rotatably mounted on said support, a winding pinion rotatable with said ratchet wheel and positioned to engage and actuate the watch spring winding gearing upon rotation thereof, a rotatable pivot extending through said support centrally thereof, a pendular mass disposed exteriorly of said support and mounted on said pivot 'to impart angular reciprocation thereto upon movement of said mass, cam means mounted-on said shaft, a movable member engaged and controlled by said cam means for movement toward and away from said ratchet wheel, and a pair of pawls carried by said movable member, said pawls engaging diametrically opposite points of the periphery of said ratchet wheel, one of said pawls rotating the'ratchet wheel upon forward movement of said pawl and the other of said pawls rotating the ratchet wheel in the same direction upon rearward movement of saidother pawl, whereby said ratchet wheel is rotated unidirectionally by said pawls upon movement of saidmovable member toward said ratchet wheel and upon movement of said movable member away from said ratchet wheel, and rotational movement of said pendular mass in any direction effects unidirectional rotation of said ratchet wheel and of said winding pinion rotatable with the ratchet wheel to actuate the watch spring winding gearing.

'2. An automatic watch winding mechanism comprising, in combination, a support, a;ratchetwhe e1 rotatably mounted on said support, a winding pinion rotatable-with said ratchet wheel and positioned 'to engage andactuate the watch spring winding gearing upon'rotation thereof,

a rotatable pivot extending through said support centrally thereof, a pendular mass disposed e xteriorly of said support and mounted on said pivot to-unpart'angular reciprocation. thereto upon movement of said mass, cam means mounted on said shaft, a movable member engaged and controlled by said cam means for movement toward and away from said ratchet wheel, said movable member comprising a slide slidably guided at each end for reciprocating movement toward and away from said ratchet wheel and having a central aperture wherein said cam is received, and a pair of pawls carried by said movable member, said pawls engaging diametrically opposite points of the periphery of said ratchet wheel, one of said pawls rotating the ratchet wheel upon forward movement of said pawl and the other'of said pawls rotating the ratchet wheel in the same direction upon rearward movement of said other pawl, whereby said ratchet wheel is rotated-unidirectionally -by said pawls upon movement of said movable member toward said ratchet wheel and upon movement of said movable member away from said ratchet wheel, and rotational movement of said pendular mass in any direction eflects unidirectional rotation of said ratchet wheel and of said winding pinion rotatable with the ratchet wheel .to actuate the watch spring twinding gearing.

References Cited inthefileof this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

